Kuta Beach. Bali, Indonesia

When you first arrive on Kuta Beach you’ll be distinctly aware of the number of people here; Kuta Beach is one of Bali’s busiest beaches as the area of Kuta and Legian host a vast number of backpackers and holiday goers alike. Kuta is an ideal spot for the budget traveller, with a number of decent hostels ranging in price from $5-10 a night and a selection of Warung’s (cheap Indonesian restaurants) and up market restaurants and bars, it really does have everything for any type of Budget. What I would say is that the food is not the best in Kuta, the rest of Bali has much better food at more reasonable prices on offer, however if you look hard enough for it you can find relatively reasonably priced Indonesian food, it does remain hidden somewhere beneath the disgusting array of KFC’s, McDonalds and Burger Kings that seem to litter this part of Bali.

I’m not going to tell you this is the best beach in the world, it isn’t! However it is a fairly decent spot for beginner surfers on a budget, with small but decent waves breaking 50 foot offshore you can be sure to learn to surf for relatively cheap. The cost of a 2 hour surf lesson ranges from 100-200,000 IDR depending on how well you negotiate and how many people are in the class, you can also find places to rent a surfboard for as little as 60,000 IDR a day again depending on your negotiating skills!

Not only is it good for surfers but just as a relaxing spot to catch some rays it’s not the worst, if you don’t like crowds you can head to the far ends of the beaches which tend to be a bit quieter however as one of the most popular destinations you can be sure that the beach is always pretty busy.

There are a huge array of drink and snack vendors lining the back of the beach where you can cool off with a fresh coconut or an ice cold beer for a pretty reasonable price. Personally whilst on a budget I always walk to the nearest mini mart or coco mart to grab a drink because they are quite often half the price. The cheaper stores are never a far walk from the beach; littered down the promenade are a plethora of convenience stores.

Once you are on the beach to escape the heat you can always rent a sun lounger; you can negotiate pretty hard for the sun loungers depending how busy the beach is you can haggle to a lower price. If you aren’t keen on paying for a lounger, there is enough shade at the back of the beach under the palm trees to escape without having to pay. Generally speaking you can rent a sun lounger for the entire morning for approximately 100,000 IDR. Again if you are a traveler on a budget there really isn’t the need to do this as you can always escape the heat at the back of the beach or by taking a dip in the sea!

The biggest activity in Kuta apart from surfing is drinking, it’s a boozy mecca at nighttime. There are many bars offering happy hours to attract tourists and an array of drunkards lining the streets causing pandemonium; if you enjoy people watching this is the place to do it. Drinking was not what I came to Bali for, however if you want to go for a heavy drinking session there are some cheap spots to go: Sky Bar is one of the most famous and offers up all you can drink deals for as little as 100,000 IDR between 6 and 9PM, now you see why so many people get off their trolley and cause chaos!

In my opinion Kuta is not the best beach or area in Bali by a long shot, it’s over crowded, slightly dirty due to the huge volume of waste left by both tourists and locals and while the area of Kuta is OK, it is pretty overpriced to shop, eat, and drink and you may grow tired of constantly being hassled for a taxi, massage or t-shirt, the locals are relentless! The proximity to the airport makes it an OK spot to stop off for one night on the way to or from Bali but personally I wouldn’t waste too much time there when you can find better food in Seminyak, better beaches in Uluwatu and a much nicer vibe in Ubud!!

Here’s my VLOG of my time spent on Kuta and Seminyak Beaches. What was your experience in Kuta like? Any questions drop a comment below!